John Craft
Chief Information Security Officer,
University of Richmond
Elevating Cybersecurity Awareness and Education Through Micro-Learning and Cross-Campus Collaboration
Thursday, April 30, 2026 | 9:45AM–10:30AM PT | California Promenade, Second Floor
Session Type:
Poster
Delivery Format:
Poster Session
The University of Richmond is shifting from long-form, compliance-driven cybersecurity training to a continuous micro-learning model. Short, contextualized learning moments delivered throughout the year reduce cognitive overload while improving engagement and retention across faculty, staff, and students. To strengthen digital learning, the University expanded in-person awareness efforts through workshops, classroom visits, and campus events developed with academic and administrative partners. Collaboration with the Business School and Computer Science Department enabled discipline-specific messaging that links cybersecurity to business risk, data ethics, and technical practice, increasing relevance and embedding security concepts into curricular and co-curricular experiences. The University also redesigned its phishing simulation program with tailored campaigns aligned to real-world threats and individual risk profiles, resulting in stronger engagement and measurable gains in phishing resilience. A positive-reinforcement model is in development to provide targeted follow-up for users who repeatedly fail simulations, emphasizing behavior change over punitive responses. Beginning in Fall 2026, the University will launch a dedicated cybersecurity awareness curriculum for students, integrating micro-learning, gamification, in-person engagement, and student-relevant scenarios to address undergraduate digital behaviors and risk patterns.
